compass 1 of 2

noun

Definition of compassnext
1
as in direction
a guiding or motivating purpose or principle a young go-getter who lost his moral compass in the course of his quest for fame and fortune

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in scope
an area over which activity, capacity, or influence extends within the compass of my voice

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in perimeter
the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something within the compass of the city walls

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

compass

2 of 2

verb

ˈkəm-pəs How to pronounce compass (audio)
1
as in to accomplish
to carry through (as a process) to completion attempting more than his modest abilities could compass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to circle
to travel completely around the great age of exploration, when ships of sail compassed the earth

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to plot
to engage in a secret plan to accomplish evil or unlawful ends the rebels are compassing the assassination of the king

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to surround
to form a circle around a mysterious isle, compassed by treacherous seas

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in to know
to have a clear idea of the concept that the earth is billions of years old is one that the average mind struggles to compass

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun compass differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of compass are gamut, orbit, range, scope, and sweep. While all these words mean "the extent that lies within the powers of something (as to cover or control)," compass implies a sometimes limited extent of perception, knowledge, or activity.

your concerns lie beyond the narrow compass of this study

When is gamut a more appropriate choice than compass?

While the synonyms gamut and compass are close in meaning, gamut suggests a graduated series running from one possible extreme to another.

a performance that ran the gamut of emotions

When is it sensible to use orbit instead of compass?

In some situations, the words orbit and compass are roughly equivalent. However, orbit suggests an often circumscribed range of activity or influence within which forces work toward accommodation.

within that restricted orbit they tried to effect social change

Where would range be a reasonable alternative to compass?

The meanings of range and compass largely overlap; however, range is a general term indicating the extent of one's perception or the extent of powers, capacities, or possibilities.

the entire range of human experience

When could scope be used to replace compass?

The words scope and compass can be used in similar contexts, but scope is applicable to an area of activity, predetermined and limited, but somewhat flexible.

as time went on, the scope of the investigation widened

In what contexts can sweep take the place of compass?

Although the words sweep and compass have much in common, sweep suggests extent, often circular or arc-shaped, of motion or activity.

the book covers the entire sweep of criminal activity

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of compass
Noun
Mere months after Lexi Love’s performance as Gilbert Gottfried earned so-disastrous-its-funny praise and enthusiastic hand-wringing, Ru’s Laugh-o-Meter appears to no longer be the challenge’s compass. —Chris Feil, Vulture, 4 July 2025 This clarity becomes your compass for navigating complexity and creating meaningful, lasting impact. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
Verb
The wind sighs: Save me, Lord, for the waters have compassed my soul. —Tomas Tranströmer, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 Abigail Jackson The adjacent dining area is dedicated to family heirlooms like a set of Allan Gould compass chairs from Kate’s interior designer grandmother and a red vintage rug from her great-grandparents. —Morgan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for compass
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compass
  1. direction
  2. scope
  3. perimeter
  4. circle
  5. plot
  6. surround
  7. know
  8. extent
Noun
  • Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard closed at Loop 101 Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard in Scottsdale was scheduled to close in both directions at Loop 101 (Pima Freeway) from 9 p.m. July 25 to 5 a.m. July 28 for a widening project, according to ADOT.
    — Olivia Rose, AZCentral.com, 26 July 2025
  • But huge early bets in the wrong direction can doom your venture.
    — Dileep Rao, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025
Definition of direction
Noun
  • By expanding their scope to include internal as well as external threats, organizations can build real resilience and ensure a systemic and coordinated approach to both executive and enterprise security.
    — Control Risks, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • The Trump administration has dramatically curtailed the ability for those facing deportation to be released from immigration detention, its latest effort to expand the scope of its sweeping immigration crackdown, sources briefed on the policy change told CBS News.
    — July 15, CBS News, 15 July 2025
Definition of scope
Noun
  • Instead of focusing exclusively on perimeter defense models, organizations must understand the types of PII today's bad actors possess—and use that information against them to build strong and sustainable security postures.
    — Damon Fleury, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • Firefighters continued to battle the fire on all sides, utilizing heavy equipment in some areas to establish a perimeter on the blaze and extinguish hot spots.
    — Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 20 July 2025
Definition of perimeter
Verb
  • The recorded flight path shows the aircraft circled a few times before landing.
    — Colson Thayer, People.com, 14 July 2025
  • The plane returned less than an hour after takeoff, circling twice before landing back at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 13 July 2025
Definition of circle
Verb
  • Heading into the summer, Howe and the decision-makers at St James’ Park were surely plotting how to move forward again.
    — Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025
  • Reiko Matsumura, a Yolo County sheriff’s deputy, is named on property records for a home and farmland plotted beside her sister Tammy’s property, where the explosions took place.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2025
Definition of plot
Verb
  • The Willis Tower in Chicago surrounding by air pollution in July 2023.
    — Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 July 2025
  • As many as 100 undiscovered galaxies that are too faint to be seen could be surrounding the galaxy that houses Earth and the solar system, new research has found.
    — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 15 July 2025
Definition of surround
Verb
  • That gap can cause marketing to keep optimizing based on CPC or CPL without knowing which leads actually move forward in the funnel.
    — Ron Browning, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 7 July 2025
Definition of know
Noun
  • The report, released Friday, downplayed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 election by highlighting Obama administration emails showing officials had concluded before and after the presidential race that Moscow had not hacked state election systems to manipulate votes in Trump's favor.
    — Dan Gooding Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
  • Cybersecurity firms, which admittedly may be talking their book to some extent, claim that ad fraud bots also click on pay-per-click ads or simulate user activity, causing companies to pay for traffic and conversions that never represent real humans.
    — Ashley Lutz, Fortune, 22 July 2025
Definition of extent

Browse Nearby Words

compartments
compass
compassed
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Cite this Entry

“Compass.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compass. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on compass

Nglish: Translation of compass for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about compass

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